Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

An Overview of the Importance of Biochar in Sustainable Agriculture

Emili Adak, Sonai Halder, Biresh Koley, Soumyajit Biswas, Sudip Sengupta, Suprabuddha Kundu, Tanmoy Sarkar

Journal of Advances in Biology & Biotechnology · pp. 924–937 · Published 2 Jun 2024

10.9734/jabb/2024/v27i6956

Abstract

Sustainable agriculture is essential for addressing the global food security challenges, environmental degradation, and climate change. Biochar, a carbon-rich material produced through the pyrolysis, has gained significant attention as a promising tool to enhance sustainability of agricultural systems. Biochar serves as a valuable soil amendment by improving soil structure and enhancing its water-holding capacity, nutrient retention, and microbial activity. These improvements translate into increased soil fertility and reduced nutrient runoff, mitigating the risk of water pollution. Furthermore, biochar's porous structure acts as a reservoir for beneficial microorganisms and can potentially contribute to the suppression of soil-borne pathogens. In the context of climate change, biochar plays a dual role. Firstly, it acts as a carbon sink, sequestering carbon in the soil for hundreds to thousands of years, thus mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. Secondly, biochar application can lead to reduced emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas associated with synthetic fertilizer use. Crop productivity and yield stability are critical factors in sustainable agriculture. Biochar application has been shown to enhance plant growth by improving nutrient availability, root development, and stress tolerance. Additionally, it can increase crop resilience to extreme weather events, helping farmers adapt to changing climatic conditions. However, the successful integration of biochar into agricultural systems requires careful consideration of feedstock selection, pyrolysis processes, and application methods, as well as site-specific factors. Nonetheless, continued research, development, and knowledge dissemination are essential to maximize positive impacts of biochar in diverse agricultural contexts. The current review article aims at understanding the production and applications of biochar for sustainability of agricultural production systems and minimizes the carbon emissions through sequestration.

Biochar sustainability soil fertility C sequestration productivity

References (54)

  1. 1 Biochar as a sorbent for contaminant management in soil and water: A review [DOI]
  2. 2 Closing yield gaps through nutrient and water management [DOI]
  3. 3 The forms of alkalis in the biochar produced from crop residues at different temperatures [DOI]
  4. 4 Effects of pyrolysis temperature on soybean stover- and peanut shell-derived biochar properties and TCE adsorption in water [DOI]
  5. 5 Biological nitrogen fixation by common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) increases with bio-char additions [DOI]
  6. 6 Effect of biochar amendment on sorption and leaching of nitrate, ammonium, and phosphate in a sandy soil [DOI]
  7. 7 The role of biochar and biochar-compost in improving soil quality and crop performance: A review [DOI]
  8. 8 Effects of biochar on soil properties and erosion potential in a highly weathered soil [DOI]
  9. 9 Screening biochars for heavy metal retention in soil: Role of oxygen functional groups [DOI]
  10. 10 Impacts of adding biochar on nitrogen retention and bioavailability in agricultural soil [DOI]
  11. 11 Aromatic and Hydrophobic Surfaces of Wood-derived Biochar Enhance Perchlorate Adsorption via Hydrogen Bonding to Oxygen-containing Organic Groups [DOI]
  12. 12 Adsorption and catalytic hydrolysis of carbaryl and atrazine on pig manure-derived biochars: Impact of structural properties of biochars [DOI]
  13. 13 Biochar had effects on phosphorus sorption and desorption in three soils with differing acidity [DOI]
  14. 14 Microbial utilisation of biochar-derived carbon [DOI]
  15. 15 Adsorption behavior comparison of trivalent and hexavalent chromium on biochar derived from municipal sludge [DOI]
  16. 16 Biochar mitigates negative effects of salt additions on two herbaceous plant species [DOI]
  17. 17 Effects of biochar amendment in two soils on greenhouse gas emissions and crop production [DOI]
  18. 18 Roles of biochar in improving phosphorus availability in soils: A phosphate adsorbent and a source of available phosphorus [DOI]
  19. 19 Nitrogen dynamics following field application of biochar in a temperate North American maize-based production system [DOI]
  20. 20 Utilization of biochar for the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus [DOI]
  21. 21 A method for screening the relative long‐term stability of biochar [DOI]
  22. 22 Effect of different biochar and fertilizer types on N2O and NO emissions [DOI]
  23. 23 Influence of Biochars on Plant Uptake and Dissipation of Two Pesticides in an Agricultural Soil [DOI]
  24. 24 Physical and Mineral‐Nutrition Properties of Sand‐Based Turfgrass Root Zones Amended with Biochar [DOI]
  25. 25 Effects of manganese oxide-modified biochar composites on arsenic speciation and accumulation in an indica rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivar [DOI]
  26. 26 Progress and future prospects in biochar composites: Application and reflection in the soil environment [DOI]
  27. 27 Biochar improves soil quality and N2-fixation and reduces net ecosystem CO2 exchange in a dryland legume-cereal cropping system [DOI]
  28. 28 Bioavailability of Cd and Zn in soils treated with biochars derived from tobacco stalk and dead pigs [DOI]
  29. 29 Compost and biochar alter mycorrhization, tomato root exudation, and development of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici [DOI]
  30. 30 Biochar Improves Soil Aggregate Stability and Water Availability in a Mollisol after Three Years of Field Application [DOI]
  31. 31 The characteristics of pharmaceutical sludge-derived biochar and its application for the adsorption of tetracycline [DOI]
  32. 32 Influence of biochar aged in acidic soil on ecosystem engineers and two tropical agricultural plants [DOI]
  33. 33 The effect of biochar, lime and ash on maize yield in a long-term field trial in a Ultisol in the humid tropics [DOI]
  34. 34 Biochars Reduce Mine Land Soil Bioavailable Metals [DOI]
  35. 35 The effects of woodchip biochar application on crop yield, carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions from soils planted with rice or leaf beet [DOI]
  36. 36 Enhancement of maize plant growth with inoculation of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria and biochar amendment in soil [DOI]
  37. 37 Effect of Biochar on Heavy Metal Speciation of Paddy Soil [DOI]
  38. 38 Dynamic biochar effects on nitrogen use efficiency, crop yield and soil nitrous oxide emissions during a tropical wheat-growing season [DOI]
  39. 39 Straw mulching with inorganic nitrogen fertilizer reduces soil CO2 and N2O emissions and improves wheat yield [DOI]
  40. 40 Microbial Transformation of Trace Elements in Soils in Relation to Bioavailability and Remediation [DOI]
  41. 41 Biodegradation of endosulfan and endosulfan sulfate by Achromobacter xylosoxidans strain C8B in broth medium [DOI]
  42. 42 Exposure of agricultural crops to nanoparticle CeO2 in biochar-amended soil [DOI]
  43. 43 Consecutive Biochar Application Alters Soil Enzyme Activities in the Winter Wheat–Growing Season [DOI]
  44. 44 Plant genotype, microbial recruitment and nutritional security [DOI]
  45. 45 Impact of wheat straw biochar on yield of rice and some properties of Psammaquent and Plinthudult [DOI]
  46. 46 Characterization of biochar and their influence on microbial activities and potassium availability in an acid soil [DOI]
  47. 47 A Field Experiment on Enhancement of Crop Yield by Rice Straw and Corn Stalk-Derived Biochar in Northern China [DOI]
  48. 48 Effect of Fine Size-Fractionated Sunflower Husk Biochar on Water Retention Properties of Arable Sandy Soil [DOI]
  49. 49 Impact of biochar application on the productivity of a temperate vegetable cropping system [DOI]
  50. 50 IMPROVING SOIL PROPERTIES BY USING BIOCHAR UNDER DRAINAGE CONDITIONS IN NORTH SINAI [DOI]
  51. 51 How biochar works, and when it doesn't: A review of mechanisms controlling soil and plant responses to biochar [DOI]
  52. 52 Biochar in climate change mitigation [DOI]
  53. 53 Nano-biochar: A novel solution for sustainable agriculture and environmental remediation [DOI]
  54. 54 Agronomy for Sustainable Agriculture: A Review [DOI]

Cited by 14

Regenerating rural soil and ecosystems: A 15-year systematic review of emerging methods and technologies

Sumanta Das, Suman Dutta, Malini Roy Choudhury · Science of The Total Environment · 2025

Comprehensive Soil Characterization Using Spectroscopic and Microscopic Techniques

Gaikar Shubhangi, M. S. Zambare, A. D. Shaligram, Dr. Kailash Sapnar · International Journal of Advanced Research in Science Communication and Technology · 2026

Showing 2 of 14 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

14

Page views

0

PDF downloads

2

Outbound clicks

14

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.